While it’s an Arizona desert-inspired brand at heart, few haircare brands do lived-in texture as well as Dae. With fruity scents, bright packaging, and easy-to-use products, Dae has always been a summer brand to me, and I was excited to see them come out with their own wave spray. Their founder, Amber Fillerup, had a beauty blog years ago and I remember her talking about having straight hair, and as someone who also has straight hair but has struggled to make wave sprays work for me, I was excited to see how her influence would shape Dae’s version.

For my full review including before and after photos, tips for using, pros, cons, and whether or not I think the Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray is worth the money, keep reading.

PS: curious to see how the Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray compares to Ouai Wave Spray? Check out my side-by-side results photos and full review of both products compared together.

dae hibiscus wave spray review

The Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray is a softening, gentle wave spray that creates effortless, natural-looking waves. With a ligthweight formula that offers buildable texture, it’s easy to work with and can be used on dry or damp hair. Infused with Dae's signature desert hibiscus scent, it’s fruity and strong, but not so overpowering that it gives me a headache.

As someone with straight hair who struggles to get wave sprays to work, I prefer to use the Hibiscus Wave Spray on dry hair and apply it prior to heat styling. This ensures beachy waves over polished curls, and it’s lightweight so it doesn’t weigh down my fine hair.

dae hibiscus wave spray before and after

how to use the dae hibiscus wave spray

Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray can be applied to wet or dry hair. Always shake the bottle first!

For damp hair:

Spray evenly from roots to ends.
Scrunch or twist your hair with your fingers (or add loose braids).
Let your hair air dry for soft waves, or use a blow dryer for more defined waves.

For dry hair:

Apply a heat protectant.
Spray evenly from roots to ends.
Create shape or texture using your fingers if you have naturally wavy hair or hot tools (like a curling iron) if your hair is naturally straight.

If you have naturally straight hair, I highly recommend applying to dry hair and going with that method; the spray is too gentle for scrunching.

pros

Easy to work with
Makes your hair soft (ideal if you have the crunchiness of traditional wave sprays)
Does not make your hair gritty or sticky
Adds a beachy look to heat styled curls
Lightweight formula

cons

Strong citrus scent is not for everyone
Formula is light, so you need to heat style for best results
Will not work on straight hair unless you heat style

who the dae hibiscus wave spray works best for

The Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray works best in these instances:

If you want to add beachy texture to heat-styled hair
If you have naturally curly hair
If you hate the gritty or salty feel of traditional wave sprays

It’s a gentler formula, so the scrunch method won’t do much unless you have natural texture and grip to your hair already. If you have straight hair like me and have always tried to get beach waves with a curling iron but they’ve turned out too polished or structured, you will LOVE how the Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray transforms your curls into undone, beachy waves.

who it might not work for

Because it’s so lightweight, the Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray does not work best on naturally straight or subtly wavy hair if you want to add texture without hot tools. Those hair types don’t have enough structure or shape, so the wave spray won’t make enough of a difference to be worth it.

I also think if you have naturally curly hair and want shine, you’d prefer a shine-enhancing formula like the Ouai Wave Spray instead.

is the dae hibiscus wave spray worth the money?

Kind of. If you want a wave spray that you can spray and go without heat styling, it’s not worth it. But if you have straight or “bent” hair and want a beachy look but can’t seem to achieve it with hot tools, the Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray is absolutely worth it. I love how it’s the one product that has finally given me beach waves; any other wave spray is either too gritty, too heavy, or too subtle for my straight, fine hair.

The Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray is also worth it if you want a wave spray but hate the ones that make your hair feel sticky, crunchy, too gritty, or just plain dirty. The Dae spray makes your hair soft; you can feel a little bit of texture, but it’s much subtler than traditional formulas and it’s actually formulated with ingredients meant to hydrate and soften your hair.

Priced at $30 a bottle, it’s around the upper average of wave sprays. A little goes a long way, though, so I find it to be worth the price, especially because it doesn’t dry out your hair like other wave sprays do.

Dae Hibiscus Wave Spray Review